Sunday, January 18, 2015
MONDAY, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
January 19, 2015 MONDAY, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Sts. John Ogilvie, StephenPongracz and Melchior Grodziecki, Priests; Marco Krizevcanin, Canon of Estergom; Bl. Ignatius de Azevedo and Companions; James Sales, William Saultemouche and Companions, Martyrs
Memorial, Red
Heb 5: 1–10 / Mk 2: 18-22
[Sts. John Ogilvie (1579–1615), Stephen Pongracz (1583–1619) and Melchior Grodziecki (1584–1610) were Jesuit priests martyred in Europe; St. Marco Krizevcanin, martyr, was Canon of Estergom.]
[Bl. Ignatius de Azevedo (1527–1570), Portuguese Jesuit priest, and 39 others were martyred off the Canary Islands.]
[Bl. James Sales (1556–1593) and William Saultemouche (1557–1593) were Jesuits martyred in France during the French War of Religions.]
Reading: Heb 5: 1–10
Every High Priest is taken from among mortals and appointed to be their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. He is able to understand the ignorant and erring for he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he is bound to offer sacrifices for his sins as well as for the sins of the people. Besides, one does not presume to take this dignity, but takes it only when called by God, as Aaron was.
Nor did Christ become High Priest in taking upon himself this dignity, but it was given to him by the One who says: You are my son, I have begotten you today. And in another place: You are a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek.
Christ, in the days of his mortal life, offered his sacrifice with tears and cries. He prayed to him who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his humble submission. Although he was Son, he learned through suffering what obedience was, and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for those who obey him. This is how God proclaimed him Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Gospel: Mk 2: 18-22
One day, when the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees were fasting, some people asked Jesus, "Why is it that both the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but yours do not?" Jesus answered, "How can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them and on that day they will fast.
"No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear away from the old cloth, making a worse tear. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, for the wine would burst the skins and then both the wine and the skins would be lost. But new wine, new skins!"
Reflection:
In The Gospel of Mark, William Barclay comments that though it is a good practice to fast, most of the Pharisees were fasting as a public display of their devotion to God. They wanted people to see how much sacrifice they were doing to fulfill their obligations, perhaps to be admired and respected by those who would notice them. The old order consisted of making a show of piety. Jesus is saying that we need to break away from old ways of doing things if they are not aligned to God's values. This is why one cannot put new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would burst them.
Let us reflect:
1. What "old ways" is Jesus asking me to break away from because it is not aligned with His values?
2. Am I being asked to stand up for justice? To forgive someone over a long-standing feud? To show kindness to someone who is difficult to love? To go out of my way to give hope to someone who is very discouraged?
3. To what extent am I willing to leave my comfort zone to live by God's values?
WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:
BIRTHDAY
ELLEN PALMA
NIKKY JAY D. DUCUSIN
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
HARRIS & EVER NGO
IN MEMORIAM (+)
THOMAS CHAN SY
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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